Getting Ready for a Fun Filled Weekend!

Woohoo! Bama plays LSU this weekend. This is a big one. It may not have the makings that they thought it would at the beginning of the season but symbolically it is huge.
Saban returns to his old stomping grounds and lets just say that he may not be given a fruit basket & hug on arrival. His mantra for the past week has been: It is about the players and the game on Saturday, not me. Yeah he can say that all he wants, but the media says: Dude, it is SO about you. We will be here cheering our Tide on. IN FACT we will have the kids! YIPPEE!! My sister is coming over from Atlanta and bringing her four kids. I have not seen them since the Georgia game and Marcus has not seen them since Labor Day. He is very excited. It is great how much he misses them. We wanted to get my brother's sons, the twins Coy & Colton but their mom is taking them to the beach this weekend and my brother's girlfriend's little girl, Hannah will be camping with her grandparents. We will have to make sure to have all seven sometime soon.
Well I had another evening in Birmingham with my TWILIGHTER friends; Lucy & Darlene. I have got to tell you, there is nothing like people you bond with over a book series. No, seriously. Book clubs have a lot going for them. Not only do you meet people who obviously have a common interest, but you meet people who are real. Most people who read books, especially fiction, allow you to see into their personality just by the genre they are choosing to read. Their book choices are sometimes a choice outside of their common books, but on the whole you get to see a little bit of what peaks their interests. And when you are with a group that shares a common interest a person feels more comfortable expressing their ideas & opinions. I am so comfortable with these women. I did not know them from Adam's housecat six months ago, they don't work with me, I did not go to school with them, they are not wives of my husband's coworkers, or any of his coworkers. These are women who found a common interests and then, we found we enjoy each other's company with our without the books. The books brought us together, but our own personalities are what keep us emailing, calling, and visiting. I will forever be grateful to Twilight for that.
Anyway, we ate at Carino's at Patton Creek - YUM! So good. Our poor waiter, I think at first he thought we weren't going to eat due to our chatting he came to take our order 4 times - we still weren't ready. Although I had decided what I wanted first and you know what, HE CALLED ME DECISIVE! Goodness knows he doesn't know me well. LOL I told Marcus about that and he laughed. Poor boy, the waiter then at the end of the meal saw us with a plastic bag, rocks, and driftwood on the table. As I was driving home and revisited the evening, I realized if he overheard us talking about tattoos, Werewolves, Vampires, Witches, Hunger Games, he might actually have thought we WERE witches! I mean rocks, wood....cackling women... ahhh. We also gave him a tip on getting lucky - yeah I think we may have terrified him. :)

Anyway, the rocks & wood were from Lucy's trip to Forks, Washington (LA PUSH BEACH!!!) Yep she went with a huge group of TwilightMOMS and was kind enough to bring us back all kinds of goodies! Oh I could barely breathe. So awesome. We of course discussed the book, the movie, interviews, clips, pictures, all things Twilight. We also discussed a thousand other things, laughed, smiled, and just plain ole enjoyed ourselves. It was a blast. I cannot wait for our next evening out. Oh & Darlene - here is a shout out: NOW SIGN UP SO YOU CAN COMMENT!!! I love that you read my blog, thanks. Lucy - YOU TOO! :)

Halloween, Homecoming & A New Leader of the Free World

Okay. Well the last week has been full of activities. Halloween was nice. Normally we do something frightening, i.e. a scary house, scary movie, concert, something. This year? Not so much. Marcus does not like scary movies. Scary house, sure. So we had a few options for our viewing pleasure: Journey to the Center of the Earth, Prom Night (scary movie), or Kitt Kittredge: An All American Girl. Yes I know Kitt Kittredge. Yep he chose the little girl movie. LOL. No really it was too much to pass up seeing a film with such greats as: Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond, Chris O'Donnell, and of course Abigail Breslin. We found ourselves watching a movie that could be very indicative of times to come. The movie is set in the depression era and the viewer follows a little girl who dreams of being a reporter. Because times are tough her father loses his business and leaves to find work in neighboring Chicago. Kitt & her mother begin to take in Boarders. This is where the story gets even more interesting. The movie made me smile and cry. Perseverance, hope, determination, friends, and family is the mantra and I would say it is a mantra we need today. So for 2008's Halloween we watched a kid's movie, ate some shrimp boil with corn, onions, potatoes, sausage then we just vegged out. By the way the shrimp boil was delish! Easy as pie too. :)

Saturday Bama played Arkansas State and we finally had a blowout. Ark. St. 0 - Bama 35. YIPPEE!!! Tuscaloosa was crazy though! Hank Jr. had played Friday night and people were everywhere for his concert. The game always brings Alumni but with our year going well it brought twice as many. The sororities decorated as usual and I liked a good many of the designs. Their theme this year was A TIDE NATION: UNITED WITH PRIDE. Mary Ann, James, Rob, Regan, & Riley joined us for lunch and game festivities. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday found us being as lazy as possible. We cooked some baked salmon, shrimp, and some veggies. It was yummy!!!

Well as you all know yesterday we elected a new President. President Obama. Yep, Obama. Well I can honestly say that I did not agree with many of his positions. I also was not overly fond of McCain, but to be honest between the two I did like more of McCain's policies. But I woke up this morning discovering that this is who we as a people elected. Okay. So now I need to support our leader. To hope that he will plan well for my future, my children, & grandchildren. I pray that he finds the truth in his decisions, that he sees the realities of our struggles now & in the future of his term. I agree with Obama that this will not happen overnight, that it may not happen in his term, but I hope that whatever foundation he lays or builds on is one we will look back on and be proud of. If I don't agree with my president that is okay, it is my right,I can promise that had McCain won I would not have agreed with all of his policies as well and I would have had to say the same prayer for his term in office. We vote on these people to lead us, we vote on these people to help us, we vote on these people to listen to us, to try to understand us, and to find whatever is best for our nation. Pray with me that so many of us who voted against Obama will find him with traits worthy to support over the next four years.

Another TV Spot....

My goodness the Twilight movie is almost here!!! YIPPEE!!!
Here is the latest TV Spot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH1tX4jUCy8
Enjoy!

TWILIGHT TV SPOT

FINALLY! They have a commercial on TV for the upcoming Twilight movie. I downloaded the link. Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D6eH-P1Ogk

Bama 29 - Tennessee 9

Well another gameday has come & gone. This one though is one of those important games. Tennessee may not be having the best year, but this game was a chance for them to have a big upset game against a bitter rival. Our rivalry with Auburn is just that: a rivalry. Our rivalry with Tennessee is much different. As an Alabama player stated: We have to hate Auburn they are our in state rival. We CHOOSE to hate Tennessee.

Tennessee & Bama truly hate each other. The song Rocky Top - yech! They play it constantly. Thankfully yesterday we did not only beat them but actually proved something to ourselves.We can play the 3rd & 4th quarter of a football game. We can step up to the plate, hold our own, & execute.In other words though we did hear Rocky Top a few times, it was quietly fading come the 3rd U & 4th quarters. Sure there are always areas of improvement or better thinking, but for the past year we have had issues late in the game. We come out blazing in the first & find ourselves sizzling out by the 4th. Yesterday, we found our ground. We stood on it & we continued to prove that we are not some odd BCS fluke team. We are ALABAMA. :)

I made some yummy goodies for this game. Some comfort food really. The weather has begun to cool off so warm foods are the tasty choice. I made a huge pot of chili, some BLTs & Club Sandwiches, Spinach/Bacon dip, & the cupcakes from last week. Though this week I perfected the cream for the inside. YUMMY! Marcus had requested the cupcakes again - Rob had only gotten one last week, but this week he got his fill :) They are so amazing. They may take a while to make, but boy are they worth it!!! Check out the pics right after I finished decorating them~Little Debbie eat your heart out! Look at the yummy creamy insides~~~mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Yesterday morning before all the game festivities I ran up to Hoover. COACH had sent me a $100 gift certificate (yes this is an indication that we shop there quite a bit :)lol) Anyway, the cert. was only good for 2 days & well I decided it would be silly to waste 100$ gift cert. I mean come on :) So I ran up to the galleria bought a few things from COACH then headed over to Linens & Things at Patton Creek. (the entire company, Linens & Things, is going out of business)It was like BLACK FRIDAY in there, people were throwing things everywhere, digging in bins, moving each other. It was nuts. I did get some new stuff for mine & Marcus' bathroom. A much needed new rug & shower curtain. As well as some new towels. I spent $50. The curtain alone was originally 79.00. I would have found more stuff, but with holiday shopping around the corner I will just wait for the craziness until then.

After that I grabbed a Blackberry Soda from Carinos & some combo nachos. If you have never had them you should: they are pasta chips covered in italian sausage, grilled chicken, black olives, onions, peppers, tomatoes, alfredo sauce, mozzarella, & parmesan cheese. OME! They are amazing. So I took the nachos home to Marcus for lunch & after that the games began! What a Saturday. Today I plan to curl up, relax & watch some old movies/tv shows. Marcus has to go into work, so Peanut & I will hold down the fort. Ahhh, another weekend. :) Stay warm.

Crazycolorfulcountdownclockssaywhat?

Good night! I was visiting a blog tonight & found that they had a few countdown clocks:

37 days until Thanksgiving
64 Shopping days until Christmas

Where did I miss a few weeks? (oh yeah I did miss a few weeks of normal life, but that is beside the point) How on earth did my time just go by so quickly! 64 days until Christmas. CHRISTMAS!!! ARGGHHH!!! That means that a birthday for Marcus is merely 48 days away. He will be 29; a month from that it will be my birthday, but more than that it will be 2009.
Every year we say "My gosh this year has flown by." Every year we mean it, but for me this year truly has slipped out from under me.

I am a list maker. Someone who constantly writes down what she is to do that day, what she needs to pack for a trip, what she is planning, things she wants, things she doesn't want, pros/cons, whatever it is I list it. Now granted my list may take place on a notepad, envelope, sketch pad, back of my hand or even on a pair of old pants, but the list is there. Once written down my mind won't forget it or its order of importance. I had lists from last spring that won't be complete until next spring, I have lists from yesterday that won't ever be completed and then there are those that I will finish, file away, and begin a new one.

Well the holidays bring about all kinds of lists in our house. Tonight I realized that it was time to begin holiday 'idea lists'. You know the kind with recipes I might want to try, gift ideas for family/friends, crafting items, decorations that I want to add to the collection, dates of visitors around the holidays, holiday parties, Christmas cards, house upkeep things before I have visitors, I mean there are so many things that I list out this time of year. I feel so behind though. I normally start all these in August, at least idea lists, now though it is October. Not even October 1, but the 20th meaning I am only 11 days from November. Holy batwings, batman! I am freaking out here. :)

So as these countdowns continue my lists will grow & hopefully a few checkmarks will be found on the slips.

For now, I leave you with this list:
1. Make list of things to update around the house before holiday swing.
2. Make list of ideas for recipes
3. Make list of gift ideas
4. Make list of all holiday party dates
5. Make list of all holiday events to attend
6. Make list of all dates that visitors will arrive
7. Make list of all drinks that will make me calm through the holidays
8. Make list of all catering companies in case I lose it during the holidays
9. Make list of all retailers that will gift wrap if bought online so I don't get papercuts
10. Make list of all spas in the area - I will need to learn to breathe during the next 64 days :)

Sheldon's Smile

Okay I LOVE the show BIG BANG THEORY on CBS Monday nights. last week was by far one of the best episodes. the character Sheldon is a riot.

Anyway, I thought this clip was just hilarious & felt like sharing. If you don't watch this show you should.

Just click on the link to go to CBS' youtube site & watch the clip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_23Gml3Mw

Bama 24- Ole Miss 20

Well, we sure do like to tease our fans! Actually we like to see how far cardiac arrest can go. Alabama won on Saturday, we are now 7-0, but I must say I really want to watch us pummel someone and be able to actually relax in the 2nd half. I mean relax in letting the other guys play & not worry about the opponent sneaking back up on us & almost winning in the end! Whew! Is that really too much to ask :)
Anyway, my house was interesting on this game day. My father called late Friday evening saying he had tickets for him, Eric, & Mindy to the game and was wondering if Marcus had any tickets. Well at the time he didn't. Then he gets a call from a friend who happens to have 2 tickets. So Marcus, Rob, Dad, Eric, & Mindy all went to the game. Mom & me stayed home to watch on Stevie the TV. Though I screamed so loudly at one point that my dog was terrified & ran under the couch, it was still a great deal of fun! Instead of cooking lunch I cooked dinner for everyone after the game. It was YUMMY!!! I also had made some chocolate cupcakes. Okay these are not just chocolate cupcakes; they were from scratch chocolate cupcakes filled with a from scratch white cream, then covered in chocolate ganache & decorated with leftover cream. OME!! THEY WERE AMAZING!! Marcus is clamoring for them to be next weekends dessert as well. I think he may have found his ultimate chocolate item in these cupcakes. :)
Sunday we were supposed to go to the Kentuck Festival in Northport. I wanted to go but we also have not been to the movies in forever. As you all know the TWILIGHT trailer is playing on certain movies so of course I went up to discover which ones...:) The manager said that it will be on more movies this coming up weekend but on Sunday it was on QUARANTINE, LAKEVIEW TERRACE, & SEX DRIVE. Okay well QUARANTINE is scary so Marcus won't watch it. LAKEVIEW TERRACE looked good (Samuel L. Jackson stars), then there is the ultimate college comedy SEX DRIVE. Okay we went to SEX DRIVE. lol. For those of you who do not watch National Lampoon or OLD SCHOOL or Van Wilder (the uncensored versions where the female breast appears as regular as the word dude) this movie is NOT for you. If you do watch those comedies then you will love this one. I have to say that I was not sure if I would like this guy comedy, but I laughed all the way through. Granted it is that guy-humor-college thing, but let me tell you funny. Again though if the aforementioned movie style is not your thing, then just watch the preview for Twilight & sneak into something else you want to see. :) As for my preview: AWESOME ON THE BIG SCREEN HYPERVENTILATED THROUGH MOST OF IT :)I was also ecstatic that before the previews began 3 of the COKE questions that flash on the screen were Twilight related.
After that we headed home & I grilled some salmon & made some yummy garlic potatoes! MMMMM...We caught up on Friday's TiVo and also some of our Sunday shows. It was all in all a great weekend. I enjoyed seeing family plus being able to just relax with Marcus on Sunday is always my number one favorite time!